AUCKLAND-MANUKAU CANAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11605, 20 March 1901, Page 6

AUCKLAND-MANUKAU CANAL.

A CONFERENCE ARRANGED. The motion carried at the" meeting of the Chamber :of Commerce on Wednesday last requesting a ' conference with, the Harbour Board to discuss the project of a canal from the Waitemata to the Manukau, came before the Harbour Board' yesterday. The chairman of the Board (Mr. A. Kidd) suggested that the matter be referred to the Works and Tariff Committee. "'..' - •' ! - ,

Mr. W. J. Napier said.the Board should certainly arrange a conference with the Chamber of Commerce. A large portion of the imports and exports of the- provincial district of Auckland entered and left by the Manukau Harbour, which was now managed or mismanaged from Wellington. , The pre- . sent state of that, harbour was most unsatisfactory to the trading community and to the public generally, and the sooner the harbour was under the control of the Auckland Harboui Board the better. If the Manukau Harbour came under the" control of the Auckland Harbour Board the question of the connection between the two branches of the harbour would then become a burning one. He thought nature intended that the two harbours should be governed by one body, and if that came about the Board would be in a position to make its own arrangements with the Railway Department, and have the goods and passenger traffic between Auckland and Onehunga put on a much better footing than at present. He had no doubt that in time to come the whole district between Auckland and Onehunga would be governed by one great municipal corporation, and he might state that when the Municipal Corporations Act was under discussion in the House of Representatives, the Auckland members took particular care that the powers of the Auckland City Council should not be restricted, in that regard. He moved that the deputation from the Chamber of Commerce be received at the next meeting of the Board. Mr. M. Niccol said the Board should certainly hear what the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce had to say, but he did not approve of the matter in its present form being handed over to the Harbour Board. Nothing could be done without proper, surveys, and surveys of that sort meant the expenditure of a large sum of money. Mr. W. J. W. Philson said they might consider a project of far more importance than the making of a. canal. He thought the first thing they had to do was to induce vessels of large capacity to enter Manukau Harboui;. Before they could have a canal connecting the harbours they must first of all provide some safe port inside the Manukau fconneqted by' through railway with Auckland, so that large vessels could go into the Manukau, discharge cargo, and go on to the South Island without delay. At present no large vessel could enter Manukau Harbour for any distance. If the Board had control of that harbour, and provided proper .landing facilities at the . mouth of the harbour, and if direct railway connection were provided, charges would be con- j siderably reduced. He moved that the Board confer with the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce at a special meeting on Tuesday next. Mr. Harris seconded.

Mr. J. H. Witheford stated that he waited on the Public Works Department a year ago and urged them to instruct their engineering staff to furnish information for the guidance of the Auckland Harbour Board on the question of a canal and also on the question by Mr. Philson of deep-water berthage at the mouth of the Manukau, so that vessels could discharge there and have the cargo run through to Auckland. The motion for a special meeting was defeated, and it was agreed to confer with the representatives of the Chamber of Commerce at next ordinary meeting of the Board. On the suggestion of Mr.- Napier it was agreed to invite Mr. J. E. Taylor, of Mangere, and Mr. J. Boylan, C.E., who have collected information on the subject to attend the conference.

Mr. Napier subsequently moved in accordance with notice, "That the Works and Tariff Committee consider and report on the desirability of the Board obtaining control of the Manukau Harbour." The motion was adopted. •